Zazous

It makes me want to just fly around the world and sprinkle Oreos on everyone to calm them down!

I am stunned by the egos on here. I am a loyal person on this site. But the Egos on this site are overshadowing the whole helpful community. If people were to realize we ALL had the same EXACT surgery that it makes us equals. You are no better or no less than the poster before or after you. Where is the helpfulness? I'm so tired of reading these people who shake their fingers at people who decide to take a different road then themselves.( except in the cases where the person is obviously not following their docs advice and is drinking and eating stuff they should right after surgery) You had the surgery for the exact same reason I did. We are fat, what the hell happened to the jolliness. Someone should write in some side effects that aren't mentioned: although death may occur and leaks, you will experience bitterness, resentment, aggressive behavior, cattiness, bitchiery and what not. I know this is exactly what I'm complaining about which makes me hypercritical but at least I know it! I should be a moderator darn it! On a lighter side (puns intended) I love this surgery. And I love all of you just stop the hating!

Slider foods;
Pretty much anything that tastes good

Everyone has a slip up or two now and again. What's important is that you acknowledge it and seek the attention you need. I had a issue also and what I did to overcome was voiced my opinion to people who ate bad things in my presence. I was tactful of course, I just asked them to eat in another room or I took it upon myself to leave the room. It has worked for me, but every individual is different or you can just eat filling foods that allow you to stay full longer..Hope this helps

Who are deese mutts? I'll send Luca...

Hey,
I haven't posted in QUITE awhile, sometimes I have good days sometimes I don't.. I don't always eat right, but I can't stuff myself like before...
I'm actually thinking of trying out for the Biggest loser, because I could really use some psycho-analysis from Jillian, and some good fitness coaching....
I've recently broken the 500 pound mark. I started at 670, lost 20 pre-op, and 150 post op. If I can get to 470 (currently 495, that will be 200 since I began the Journey last May- - if I can get to 450 by July 2nd, that will also be 200 since my surgery... those are my two goals for now....
Here's some updated pics, showing my progress.

You do realize that not everyone was told everything YOU were told, I hope! Surgeons are as different as night and day sometimes. You give the example of drinking from a straw...I am allowed to drink from a straw. I asked. That's just one example. Some surgeons do not see a problem with carbonation in moderation. I highly doubt your surgeon and NUT are the messiahs of VSG. No one's are.
Also, maybe you had brain surgery while they were doing your VSG and all of your bad habits that got you to where you were magically disappeared after surgery. We aren't cured. Sometimes people slip into bad habits for a moment. I didn't lose my humanity when I had surgery. I am still a work in progress and always will be. I didn't eat popcorn a week out- I followed the phases religiously. But, *gasp* I have eaten carbs and horror of horrors, drank out of a straw. I have still managed to lose 95 lbs. Go figure.
I really don't like holier-than-thou's...
-Kendra

So we can assume To perform the incisionless POSE procedures, Drs. Thomas and Lavin used USGI Medical Inc.’s (San Clemente, Calif.) Incisionless Operating Platform (IOP) and a flexible endoscope to visualize the stomach. They inserted the scope and the IOP through the patient’s mouth and then used the IOP tools to grasp the stomach tissue and deploy suture anchors to create multiple tissue folds in the stomach wall to reduce its volume capacity.
Ok..ok.. I had to do it sorry

My little 5 week old precious fur ball.

My post was clearly about the cursing, bashing, and belittling that many of YOU we're doing to other members. Accusing me of a lack of courage? It was a general statement. Get over yourself. You "vets" haven't been very encouraging, that's for sure. And your anger IS a personal problem. Assuming that someone is beneath you when she lost all of her weight even though she included treats is simply unintelligent. Sorry you are all so angry. Maybe it's the lack of carbs

Lol! I have been DYING for a cheeseburger today. Have no idea why. Just wanting a cheeseburger. Your post made me smile. I didn't get one because I still have trouble eating ANY bread and when I eat that dang cheeseburger, I want it on a bun! Don't beat yourself up too bad. Ya just need a burger every once in a while and think of all the Protein in that meat patty!

Since this thread was revived, I’ll offer my two-cents’ worth.
On this forum, we have an overwhelming number of self-assigned experts on weight loss, dieting, nutrition, and vertical sleeve gastrectomies based on a case study of one.
For one year after my surgery, I attended a monthly support group of VSG patients in my doctor’s office. We would just go around the room sharing our experiences mostly. What amazed me was how different everyone’s experience with the surgery and recovery was. One guy reported he could enjoy steak at 4 weeks out and someone else would say that he couldn’t eat steak until 4 months after surgery. Some people can’t tolerate salad, I eat it with every dinner. I don’t think anything is more personal and individualized than weight gain, weight loss, and immediate and long-term responses to this surgery.
I can tell you what worked for me and that’s it. As I see it, I have no right at all to instruct someone else about what they should be doing based on what worked for me or what my doctor advised me to do. Even with something like knee surgery, each recovery plan is very different based on the specific type of injury that was repaired. We all have different histories with weight gain, diets, and weight loss and different issues with food.
I was a skinny kid and then a skinny adult until I had an accident. I didn’t get fat because I ate too much "junk food". I got fat because I ate too much food, period. I used to be a semi-professional athlete before a serious knee injury laid me up. When you are running 5 miles every day, you can come home and put away a 16 ounce steak and a big plate of spaghetti with no problem. I used to eat like there was no tomorrow and I never gained an ounce because I was always active. Problem is I continued to eat like that and even more after my injury because I got seriously depressed. I went from being a skinny guy to becoming a fat man in just two years.
This surgery was perfect for me because it did what I needed it to do. It forced me to reduce my portions of food at each meal. I eat the same way now that I used to before the injury except just in much smaller quantities and I have been 8 pounds under goal for almost 9 months.
Before my knee injury I was a young, healthy athlete and I occasionally ate a Big Mac, a piece of candy and a chunk of cake. Now, almost two years after surgery, I am a middle-aged healthy adult who still occasionally eats (a few bites of) a McDonald's sausage McMuffin with half an order of hash browns, a Baby Ruth candy bar, and a 3 oz portion of full fat ice cream. I am as physically healthy today as I was 5 years ago and I have the doctor's report and blood work to prove that.
Still, I have no more right to warn forum members that they are going to fail because they are not learning how to eat all foods in moderation than someone else warning me that I am going to fail because I still eat chocolate and ice cream. Based on my sustained results, they would be 100% wrong. Even if there was a real doctor or licensed therapist on this forum, he or she would have no right to dispense warnings without at least reviewing that person’s medical file and then meeting with the patient. This is the real reason I am not a regular contributor on this forum. These forums appear not to be moderated and I have no interest in my posts being attacked or insulted by people who don't personally approve of my approach to weight loss and weight loss maintenance. I also don’t need or want lay medical advice. I have real licensed healthcare professionals that I rely on for that.
Is strict calorie monitoring considered dieting? If so, then I will be on diet for the rest of my life. If eating everything I used to eat and want to eat now but in much smaller quantities means I'm not on a diet, then I can honestly write that I have never been on a diet even once during my entire life.
From the first day I could start eating solid foods, I have been tracking all my calories. From one year ago, I started using the BodyMedia Fit Link armband to monitor my daily calorie burn. I didn’t have this surgery to leave anything to chance. I weigh myself every single morning as advised by my doctor and nutritionist and I monitor everything that I consume. I also keep records of my calorie intake and expenditures for each month and use them for review.
What has made keeping the weight off effortless for me is following Dr. Michael Mosley’s Fast Diet. For two days out of the week (Monday and Thursday), I eat a 600 calorie high Protein diet divided into two meals and separated by a 12 hour period (like 250 calories at 7:30 am for Breakfast and then 350 calories at 7:30 pm for dinner). Then for the other five days, I eat 25% over my daily calorie burn to maintain my current weight. My nutritionist told me that a healthy diet is a well-balanced one and that includes carbohydrates, Protein and fat, all three. I follow the percentages recommended by MFP. When I was still trying to lose, I would eat a little less so that I was running a 5200 calorie deficit a week, which comes to a pound and a half weight loss every week. Do a search on “Mosley Fast Diet” for free information about his Fast Diet if you are interested. This program has been very easy for me to follow. Please consult with your doctor before starting any type of fasting diet.
I am not a doctor or a licensed psychotherapist so I can’t advise anyone about what they should be doing. I have seen members threaten other members here with failure, illness, an "unhealthy life", and even death if they didn’t follow the same program they had come up with for themselves. All I can do is write about what has worked very successfully for me. If you can relate to my story and reading about what has worked for me has you thinking or rethinking about what might work for you, wonderful. If not, please ignore what I just wrote and be sure to consult with your own healthcare professionals before trying anything new.

I’ve been lurking around these forums for over 2 yrs and decided it was finally time to post something.
This coming July will make two years for me and I’m down 78 pounds, 8 pounds under my original goal.
The last time I felt that I was losing control was when I made the decision to see a doctor about weight loss surgery. I had always been an extremely active (hyperactive) skinny kid and adult through my 20s and most of my 30s. My mother called me “Skinny Malink” when I was a kid. Then in my late 30s I suffered a serious knee injury from a soccer accident that led to gradual weight gain to 245lbs!!! (I’m 5’10”).
As soon as I was able to start eating solid foods (14 days), I began tracking every morsel of food that enters my mouth on MyFitnessPal.com. I mean I track everything, from the 6 grams of coffee Creamer I put in my morning coffee every day to the half serving of hash browns and ¾ portion of the Sausage McMuffin I have once a week at McDonald’s with the guys (a 10 year tradition for us that I wasn’t about to break). (I used to eat 2 orders of Sausage McMuffins without egg, 2 orders with egg, and 2 orders of hash browns in one sitting.) If my wife asks me to try a sample of a cake batter she is about to put in the oven, I figure out a way of entering that too. Everything. Strict monitoring is the key to successful weight loss and weight loss maintenance.
I wear one of those body monitors that they use on The Biggest Loser. I track every calorie I burn 23 hours a day. Everyday my goal is to eat just under or around the calories I expend, which for me is around 2200 to 2400 calories a day. That’s with some light exercise meaning a 30 to 40 minute slow walk every day (I had corrective knee surgery about a year ago and today I can walk slowly, like 2mph).
For the past six months I have also been following that British “Fast Diet” by Dr. Mosley. Basically you eat 600 calories of mostly Protein for two days out of the week (500 for women) and then anything you want on non-fasting days. This a very easy way to maintain weight loss for sleevers and the health benefits are truly amazing. Intermittent fasting lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. I have a lot more energy now since fasting than I ever did. (I do track my food intake on non-fasting days even though you’re not supposed to). You can look up the Fast Diet on the internet or on Amazon.com. There is a U.S. version of the book and it’s available for Kindle.
Because I’ve been using intermittent fasting for half a year, I guarantee that the hunger I feel is not just “head hunger” (if by head hunger you mean purely psychological). It is true that the docs remove a part of the stomach that produces the majority of one of the hunger hormones, ghrelin, but there are many chemicals in the body that cause the sensation of hunger, not just one. Besides, not all the ghrelin is eliminated from your system because 15% of it is produced in other parts of the body. When you have some free time, look up a Protein called neuropeptide-Y. It plays a major role in hunger sensation and regulation and it increases during periods of stress. It is true that the hunger pangs I feel today are different in intensity and quality from what I used to feel before the surgery but not all sensations of hunger that I feel are in my head. Even after a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, there is a chemical basis for hunger, it’s just that the chemical composition is different for VSG patients.
I eat exactly the same foods today that I ate before the surgery except just a lot less of them. That includes pizza, my famous homemade Texas chili, Red Lobster’s lobster bisque, and spaghetti with meat sauce. I don’t think of any food as “bad”, not even candy bars like Baby Ruth, my favorite. I just monitor everything I eat on MyFitnessPal.com and force myself to stay within my daily maintenance calorie intake of 2200 to 2400 calories. What is different for me today than from two years ago is that because I am tracking all my food, I am aware of how many carbs, Proteins, and fats I am eating for the first time in my life. I follow the nutritional guidelines recommended by MyFitnessPal.com (just select "guided" goals).
If you’re in a stall or having trouble losing those few extra pounds, I encourage you to try the Fast Diet by Dr. Michael Mosley. It’s also called the 5:2 Diet. Especially for people who have had 75 to 80% of their stomachs removed, it’s a very easy way to lose and maintain weight and the long-term health benefits from intermittent fasting are awesome.
IMHO, stick with the counseling and try to allow yourself to enjoy your comfort foods in moderation without guilt. The more you beat yourself up for eating foods you enjoy, the more stress you feel, the more your hunger Proteins will surge, and the more you will crave those foods you are trying to avoid. That’s why will power alone never works over the long haul. I have more will power than anyone I know and I still got uncomfortably fat.
Instead of seeing yourself as losing control whenever you eat comfort foods, try to turn that around so that you are gaining control. What I do is I take out one portion of candy or cake or whatever it is I feel like eating for that day and then deliberately plan on eating it at my usual snack time. For me, I take out my Baby Ruth bar and leave it on the end table for when I am watching TV at night. Every time I pass it, I smile in anticipation. I also make allowances during the day for that snack by monitoring everything I eat and by exercising so I know I have enough calories to “spend”. This way, I am gaining full control over these food choices instead of feeling like I am losing control every time I eat them. Anyway, this approach has worked beautifully for me.
Everyone has a different history with weight and health issues so I don’t know if this method will work for everyone. I’ve been able to comfortably stay under goal for over eight straight months by using this system of intermittent fasting combined with strict monitoring of all the calories I eat and use. I wanted to share my experience with it in case others can benefit too.
Best of luck.

If they aren't addicted why do they allow it to happen? If you didnt eat too much or the wrong things and youre aware you are getting fat.. Why not just stop? If you lost all your weight why turn back to eating wrong.. Unless you want to be fat again.. Unless of course you have no control over what you put in your mouth etc.
Addiction is the continued use of a substance or behavior despite adverse consequences.

My name is Emily and I'm an addict .. Dude I got kicked out of an OA meeting for showing up with a box of doughnuts who knew.. i was just trying to be social

If you are going to have chocolate ( good for you!!), try to eat dark and pure chocolate. The expensive stuff!! The reason is because it will be low sugar and still be satisfying. The cheap chocolate tends to have a lot of sugar and milk in it, both which can cause issues post op, especially for newer sleevers.

When I eat chocolate the gates of Heaven open and I get a glimpse of Paradise while I delight in the sweet music of harps played by the angels themselves...
Goes without saying that I stay away from the stuff as much as I can. Had surgery in September of last year and tried chocolate in December. No problems whatsoever. I've had it since now and then and it goes down fine. Unfortunately...

I'm with Zazous...and I love sweet music
But that said, I'm also trying to supliment my calories so I have a piece or two daily and it does not bother me. That said, if I have more than a couple of pieces it makes me feel ill.
Early out I tried a Protein bar and had the same reaction as you did to the chocolate. It takes our body time to get comfortable with some foods, and sometimes it never does. I'm glad I can have a taste of chocolate but that if I overdo (lol 3 bites) I feel badly. It's good regulation for that whole Portion Control thingie

When I eat chocolate the gates of Heaven open and I get a glimpse of Paradise while I delight in the sweet music of harps played by the angels themselves...
Goes without saying that I stay away from the stuff as much as I can. Had surgery in September of last year and tried chocolate in December. No problems whatsoever. I've had it since now and then and it goes down fine. Unfortunately...

However, you are back and that is good to hear. It is sad when people decide to leave because of some silly back and forth. We all need each other in one way or another. Everyone has an opinion that matters and we all share so many common experiences. Let's remember that. There is more positive on this site then negative, and the negative seems to be highly concentrated. There is no reason to let random strangers have such an impact on your day. You are all worth so much more then that!

Just give me a gallon of those Beans. NASA would have no problem gasing their ships!

Honestly like most people here I don't care one way or another... What I don't get is this need to set people straight or correct them? If you don't like what Laura has to say then simply ignore her. Kind of like **** on tv or the radio, if you don't like it change the channel instead of attacking whatever it is you don't like. You might think it was private and well intended but the thought process to need to fix someone else because they do something you don't approve of is not healthy and that was the root of the current issue. Live and let live, you don't want to say or do certain things on the internet, great, don't, but if someone else does let them be and either ignore them, change the channel or move on.

I think that the fact you wrote her and told her that and saying 6 other ppl felt the same way was kind of mean. And if people are using this forum to get information then they still can. The other thing too is she has a lot of good to say and a lot of the times the question is answered when that stuff starts happening.

I'm six months out and have lost 90 pounds. Still have another 90 or so to loose. After month three I have very little restriction and every food agrees with my sleeve. So, now I'm more obsessed with diet and exercise than I ever was pre sleeve. The fear of failure haunts me every day. I have to admit I went into this a little uninformed and believed it would be a magic cure. That was my fault. The truth is I have had to work harder at this than I have had at any previous weight loss plan.
It does work. You just need to find a balance between expectations and reality that works for you remembering that this is long term. I'm still struggling to find my balance, but from reading this forum I know it's very much doable.